This invention relates generally to stereoscopic or three-dimensional imaging wherein left and right image pairs are captured on an image sensor.
A conventional stereoscopic image capture device utilizes a pair of separate imaging systems. Each imaging system captures an image of an object from a different perspective. The resulting captured images, called left and right image pairs, may be viewed in tandem to create the effect of three-dimensional viewing. Alternatively, the image pairs can be computer-combined to create a three-dimensional representation of the imaged scene.
Necessarily, two complete optical systems with accompanying image sensors are utilized to provide such systems. This results in at least doubling the cost of the system for three-dimensional applications.
Therefore, there is a need for a way to enable stereoscopic imaging without significantly increasing the cost of the system.